Description
Book SynopsisFrom music to movies, literature to dance – the arts have always been influenced by the work of LGBTQ people. LGBTQ+ Icons spotlights the history and contributions of 50 pioneering artists who lived and worked around the world.
Bold, whimsical illustrations by David Lee Csicsko (The Skin You Live In) and concise bios from historian Owen Keehnen celebrate a diverse group of artists, from LGBTQ icons James Baldwin, Frida Kahlo, and Freddie Mercury to lesser-known colorful characters like vaudeville performer Ada “Bricktop” Smith, the toast of 1920s Paris café society who opened a queer-friendly club where all were welcomed, and Australian dandy Leigh Bowery, whose unapologetic flamboyance influenced an entire generation of fashion designers.
LGBTQ+ Icons is an entertaining exploration of a part of history most people don’t know is even missing. It will inspire readers young and old to be confident in who they are, and to take pride in their own creativity. Produced with premium materials, this book is a must-read for Pride month and a perfect collectible year-round!
Trade Review“A wonderful range of artistic disciplines, sexualities, and gender identities...An enriching addition to arts collections.” – Booklist
“Packed with [Csicsko’s] lively portraits of both famous and overlooked figures, [LGBTQ+ Icons and Science People] celebrate diversity, smarts, and creativity.” – Chicago Magazine
Table of ContentsPortraits include:
Alvin Ailey (USA) Gloria Anzaldúa (USA) Reinaldo Arenas (Cuba) Dorothy Arzner (USA) Josephine Baker (USA/France) James Baldwin (USA/France) Natalie Clifford Barney (USA/France) Sylvia Beach (USA/France) Gladys Bentley (USA) Leonard Bernstein (USA) Leigh Bowery (Australia) Romaine Brooks (USA/France) Leslie Cheung (Hong Kong) Stormé DeLarvarie (USA) Divine (USA) Esther Eng (USA/China) Leslie Feinberg (USA) Federico García Lorca (Spain) Radclyffe Hall (UK) Mabel Hampton (USA) Lorraine Hansberry (USA) Keith Haring (USA) June Jordan (USA) Frida Kahlo (Mexico) Greer Lankton (USA) Alain LeRoy Locke (USA) Audre Lorde (USA) Charles Ludlam (USA) Freddie Mercury (Tanzania/UK) George Michael (UK) Yukio Mishima (Japan) Alla Nazimova (Russia/USA) Willi Ninja (USA) Klaus Nomi (Germany/USA) Rudolph Nureyev (Russia) Laura Nyro (USA) Cole Porter (USA) Mary Renault (UK) Ada “Bricktop” Smith (USA/France) Ethyl Smith (UK) Stephen Sondheim (USA) Daniel Sotomayor (USA) Dusty Springfield (UK) Gertrude Stein (USA/France) Billy Strayhorn (USA) Sylvester (USA) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russia) Billy Tipton (USA) Chavela Vargas (Costa Rica/Mexico) James Whale (UK)
